Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko met with a delegation from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) headed by Odile Renaud-Basso, where the sides discussed further cooperation in the implementation of environmental and infrastructure projects in the Ukrainian capital.
“This year, we plan to complete the repayment of loans under the 2007 loan agreements, which allowed us to purchase 202 new trolleybuses, some 185 buses and 50 metro cars,” Klitschko said on the klichko.org website on Tuesday.
In addition to the urban transport renewal program, the meeting also discussed a project worth EUR 140 million to modernize the heating system of the Ukrainian capital. The EBRD provided a loan for the implementation of the project to the city within the Green Cities program.
Renaud-Basso stressed the interest of the EBRD in cooperation with the municipality of Kyiv.
She said the EBRD officials see the same priority areas of cooperation: roads, bridges, transport and environmental infrastructure. They are ready for closer cooperation, as well as they are ready to continue to provide support and attract investments to contribute to the sustainable development of the city in the face of global challenges.
Myronivsky Hliboproduct agricultural holding (MHP) received a net loss of $133 million in 2020 versus a net profit of $215 million in 2019, mainly due to exchange rate losses of $204 million due to the annual depreciation of hryvnia by 16%, and the company’s revenue decreased by 7%, to $1.91 billion.
According to the quarterly financial statements of the holding, released on London Stock Exchange on Wednesday, its adjusted EBITDA and operating income decreased by 7%, respectively, to $395 million and $201 million, while the profitability of sales (EBITDA margin) remained at the 2019 level of 21%.
MHP said that in 2020, export revenue decreased by 9.1%, to $1.015 billion, which is 53% of total revenue (56% of total revenue in 2019).
In the fourth quarter of 2020, MHP reduced its net loss by 60%, year-over-year, to $24 million, its total revenue decreased by 10%, to $497 million, and export revenue decreased by 19.3%, to $255 million (51% of total revenue).
MHP is the largest chicken producer in Ukraine. It is also engaged in the production of cereals, sunflower oil, meat products. MHP supplies the European market with chilled half-carcasses of chickens, which are processed, including at its factories in the Netherlands and Slovakia.
Most Ukrainians believe that Ukraine needs to join the European Union. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the Razumkov Center in March 2021. Ukraine’s accession to the European Union is supported by 59% of respondents, while 26% are of the opposite opinion. The share of those who support EU accession exceeds the share of those who adhere to the opposite point of view in the west (84% and 8.5%, respectively) and in the center of the country (63% and 19%, respectively). In the east, there are slightly more of those who believe that there is no need to join (38.5% and 46%, respectively), and in the south, the shares of the former and the latter do not differ statistically significantly (41.5% and 42%, respectively).
Accession to the European Union is mainly supported by young people (76% “for” in the age group from 18 to 29 years old, some 44% “for” among respondents over 60). At the same time, in all age groups, the share of those who support accession to the EU exceeds the share of those who oppose it.
In the event of a referendum on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, some 59% of those polled (80% of those who intend to take part in the referendum) voted in favor of joining, and, respectively, 26% and 17% were against. At the same time, among fans of joining the European Union, some 96% of those polled expressed their readiness to vote in the referendum, and among opponents some 46%.
The share of those who intend to vote for accession to the EU exceeds the share of those who intend to vote against in the western (84% and 8%, respectively) and in the central regions (64% and 18%, respectively). In the eastern regions, there are slightly more of those who are going to vote against joining (39% and 46%, respectively), and in the south, the shares of the former and the latter are the same (42% each).
Among respondents aged 18 to 29 years, some 75% intend to vote for accession to the European Union, among respondents over 60 years old some 44%.
Among the representatives of the electorate of the European Solidarity party some 91% intend to vote for joining the European Union (against some 5%). Among the respondents who intend to vote for the Servant of the People party at the parliamentary elections were 78% and 13%, respectively, for the Batkivschyna party some 60% and 21%, respectively. At the same time, the overwhelming majority among the representatives of the electorate of the Opposition Platform – For Life party would vote against 15% and 73%, respectively.
The share of those who believe that relations between Ukraine and the EU will improve is highest in the western region (34.5%), lower in the central (27.5%) and lowest in the southern (22%) and eastern (17.5%) regions. In the same regional sequence, the share of those who believe that they will worsen is growing (4%, 6%, 15% and 21%, respectively). Optimism is more often expressed by representatives of young people (34% among respondents from 18 to 29 years old, some 19% among respondents over 60 years old).
The research was conducted by the sociological service of the Razumkov Center from March 5 to March 9, 2021 using the method of face-to-face interviews at the place of residence of the respondents. A total of 2018 respondents aged 18 and over were interviewed in all regions of Ukraine, with the exception of Crimea and the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, according to a sample representing the adult population in terms of basic social and demographic indicators. The theoretical sampling error (excluding the design effect) does not exceed 2.3% with a probability of 0.95.
Georgian GIG Holding is ready to develop a feasibility study of Izmail seaport concession, the website of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine reported on Tuesday.
During the meeting on the implementation of the public-private partnership project in Izmail Commercial Sea Port, the participants discussed the state of preparation of the concession project and listened to the intentions of a potential private partner of GIG Holding to develop an appropriate feasibility study.
The event was attended by Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Vladyslav Krykliy, Director of the Reform Support Team of the Ministry of Infrastructure Iryna Koshel, Director of state enterprise Izmail Commercial Sea Port Andriy Yerokhin, Director General of GIG Holding David Bezhuashvili, other representatives of the Ministry, USPA and Ernst & Young.
Izmail Commercial Sea Port is located on the left bank of the Kiliya estuary of the Danube River in Odesa region. The mooring line of the seaport is 2.6 km (24 berths and 5 onshore terminals). The facility is served by one railway station with three railway entrances.
The cargo turnover of the seaport of Izmail in 2019 amounted to 4.3 million tonnes, in 2020 – more than 3 million tonnes. The throughput capacity of the port’s terminals reaches 9.3 million tonnes, and the existing passenger complex is capable of serving up to 0.15 million passengers per year.
Astarta agricultural holding, the largest sugar producer in Ukraine, has contracted 20 new 8R Series John Deere tractors’ engine range 320-370 horsepower equipped with AgriChain Farm production management modules, the company said in a press release.
“ASTARTA uses AgriChain as a single data system for agribusiness management, which is why the capability to integrate data from machinery with AgriChain modules is one of the key determinants in selecting the model and producer of the tractors,” Head of the Agriculture Division of the company Vadym Skrypnyk said.
The company said that during the operation of John Deere tractors, an open platform My John Deere collects and analyzes their telemetry data, which enables to monitor in real time technological operations, energy use, workload, idle periods and their causes, thereby providing management with the opportunity to receive a comprehensive range of data for agricultural production management.
According to Astarta, during the implementation of the second stage of its five-year investment program aimed at upgrading its agricultural machinery, the first seven units have already been received in 2021. The remaining 13 will be supplied soon. In 2020, the company purchased 31 John Deere tractors.
Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding operating in eight regions of Ukraine.
PJSC Slovianski Shpalery-KFTB (previously Koriukivka industrial paper factory in Chernihiv region), one of the Ukrainian major wallpaper producers, in January-February reduced its output by 2.8% compared to the same period in 2020, to 4.53 million pieces of wallpaper.
According to the statistics of the UkrPapir association provided to the Interfax-Ukraine agency, at the same time, the volume of the factory’s marketable output over the past month increased by 7.1%, to UAH 233.98 million.
As reported, in January the factory produced 1.91 million pieces of wallpaper, which is 3.6% less than in January 2020.
UkrPapir does not have data on wallpaper production in Ukraine as a whole, since, as reported, the State Statistics Service has ceased to provide it with these data.
As reported, at the end of 2018, Russia imposed an embargo on the supply of a number of Ukrainian goods, including wallpaper, which led to a significant reduction in production.
Slovianski Shpalery-KFTB produces several kinds of wallpaper, including washable, duplex, vinyl and acrylic wallpaper.
